Day 1 of 4 Month Detox

Hello friends!

Here I am back and blogging and its 2012!!!!

I have decided to embark on a detox cleanse to assist in all aspects of my life! 2011 was an amazing year that brought about many opportunities and many hardships. I was a student for 5 years, and now I am a freelance singer that has to keep herself motivated and under control. This is an amazing time for me, but its proving to be a challenge. I finally have had enough of trying to stick with a cleanse, or a work out regimen, or a way to be more positive and then not keeping it up. I happened to pick up a book entitled "The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari". It was recommended to me (and many others) by Kim Mattice Wanat, the artistic director of Opera NUOVA and the Vocal Arts Festival that takes place in May and June in Edmonton. I was fortunate enough to attend this program and learn from this amazing lady (and I will be returning this year to sing the title role in Ariadne auf Naxos :)). I had been meaning to purchase this book for quite some time, and its funny how I decided to buy in when I did...at a time when I needed it the most. Oh Universe...I am reading and accepting your signs!

I would reccomend it to everyone wanting to change some things in their life...whether you feel like something's missing, things are getting out of your control or you just want to read something inspiring. It truly inspires in a way that is simple and concise.

It wasn't until I started to employ some of the tools suggested in this book that I realized I really wanted to make a change once and for all. To work towards becoming a better person and learning to really, truly love myself. This, I've come to realize, is one of the most important things for a singer to accomplish, for we put ourselves out there every day waiting to be judged an critiqued. We have to truly believe in and love ourselves, knowing that we are worthy to be heard and seen. This lull time, when we are just beginning our out-of-school singing journey, is the perfect time to figure this out.

So I have decided to document my journey throughout the next four months of my life. I will post quotes (from this amazing book that I reccommend to all...I've added a picture of the cover below), recipes, amazing health foods (I am a health food nut) and general comments along my journey. This is a reconfiguring of my body, mind and soul. I hope this will inspire others to do the same!

Happy 2012! Day 1 begins!

I will leave you with the quote from "The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari" that inspired me to start this detox:

"There is nothing noble about being superior to some other person. True nobility lies in being superior to your former self."

So I lied a little bit...

So remember when I said I'd be back in a week? Yeah...that was July 24th. It is now October 10th. Needless to say, I got busy.

St. Andrew's by the Sea was amazing.To begin my journey, I reunited with one of my very good friends, Naomi,  at the Toronto airport before we travelled together to New Brunswick. I hadn't seen her for over a year, so it was about time we got to see each other!!!! It was a little over a year ago that we met at Opera NUOVA.

I'd never been to the maritimes, and it is so beautiful out there. I stayed in a house that was literally 30 seconds from the sea. It was an old blacksmith's house that was built in the 19th century. My landlady was a musician and stain glass artist, so her house was adorned with beautiful art. Now to singing...

This week was incredibly challenging, but so eye-opening for me. After NUOVA I was on top of the world, but St. Andrew's brought  me back to reality and reminded me of what work I needed to do. I honestly had a eureka moment EVERY DAY...if not twice a day. Wendy Nielsen is an amazing pedagogue and one of the warmest people I've ever met. What a lady. I trusted her guidance and wisdom.

Other highlight for me was my work with Tom Diamond, our acting coach. That man summarized basically every important acting technique that I had learned in theatre school, but it one lecture. His passion and knowledge was incredible. I appreciated his honesty. I sang in a master class while I was there, and I didn't do the work that I normally do when I prepare an aria. Tom called me out on it and I am so thankful for that. I know EXACTLY what I need to do with every piece of music (aria or scene) before it is performed for it to be believable. If you take shortcuts it wont be genuine. I needed to be called out. I know what my personal best is and I know what I need to do to attain it.

Hilarious photo of Naomi and I. Reunited in St. Andrew's, NB

This week also shook me up a bit, because a coach that I worked with told me she heard a possible mezzo sound. WAIT A SECOND. WHAT!??! I think my world came crashing down for a moment. I hadn't questioned my voice type since first or second year when Kim said...."maybe...." So I thought about it, I sang a trouser role in a scene there (which was REALLY fun and ended in some girl on girl action...PG13 though) and I pondered some more. After all of that thinking and talking about it with friends and mentors, I realized that yes, I may be young, but I know exactly what I am. I AM A SOPRANO. I could very well make the choice and be a lyric mezzo if I want, but my heart lies with The Countess, Fiordiligi, Donna Elvira, Tatiana and all of the other AMAZING women that a lyric soprano gets to portray. Plus, everything about my body, temperament and sound is soprano.

I returned from St. Andrew's a little bit fatter (I ate out A LOT), a lot happier and very enlightened. August and September were transition months for me. Getting settled back home, finding jobs, and getting back into the groove of the full-time singing.

I now have three jobs. I have time for voice lessons, I have time for coachings, I have time to practice AND I even have time to have some fun. Life is good. Being out of school is exactly right for me.

I am currently prepping for audition season. It all starts in a little over a week with my first YAP (Young Artist Program Audition). I am so ready for this.

OH! And how can I forget that I will be part of a recital tour happening in December. I will be performing along with the beautiful and talented sopranos Erin Armstrong and Naomi Eberhard. The title of this recital is Dueling Divas: Battle of the Big Haired Blondes. It's going to be a night of hair and high notes! Recital locations are Windsor, Leamington and Hamilton. Times, and locations will be coming soon. I will put up the poster when it is completed!

I think that covers the majority of what's going on in my life. I am not sure when I'll be able to write next...but I will do my best to keep things updated!

It's Been A While

Wow. So it's clearly been a while. The past 6 months have been so jam packed, I'm going to try and touch BRIEFLY on major things that have gone on.

January: Staging rehearsals began for Flute. A lot to do for our February opening. Michael Cavanagh is an amazing director. Prep for grad recital ongoing.

February: Reading week rehearsals for Flute. Amazing growth vocally and mentally. I am conquering Pamina and gaining vocal confidence. I am finding it hard to leave the daily rehearsals and go to bed. I want to stay in the Theatre Auditorium until midnight! I love what I do.

Flute performances are amazing. One of the best productions I've ever been a part of. Opera Canada reviews Saturday night performance! Singing in the Sanderson Centre in Brantford is a dream. Beautiful hall, beautiful acoustics. Glorious. Pamina is a vocal landmark for me.

Papageno and Pamina (moi) singing 'Bei Mannern'

March: Having trouble coming down off of my Flute high. Still a lot of prep to do before my grad recital in April. This now becomes my main focus.

April: Grad recital is a big success. I pulled together my 12 minute Russian aria just in time! Prep for Opera Nuova and my gig with Kitchener Waterloo Symphony become my main focus. I am accepted into St. Andrews Opera Workshop in NB!

May: Classical Comedy (KWS gig) a huge success. My own dressing room complete with piano, fridge, and bathroom. Luxury after Laurier. I leave for Opera NUOVA the day after my final KWS performance.

NUOVA: This gets its own heading because about 12 months of stuff happened in 6 weeks. The most amazing six weeks of my life. Broadway concert, success! Aria Extravaganza, success! Song Soiree performance, success! Rehearsals for Rusalka from the beginning=a lot of dancing and singing at the same time. Ahhhh...the life of a wood nymph. I am given an understudy while I am there. The Foreign Princess in Rusalka. Big sing, quick learn! Success! Possible FACH change in the future? Who knows.

Kim arrives in Edmonton and surprises her students!!!!! Best surprise ever. Performances of Rusalka and Figaro: stunning. Two beautiful productions. So proud of everyone.

I met 60 (give or take) amazing individuals I am now proud to call my colleagues. Lots of doors have been opened for this next year. Final Monday of the program=POOL PARTY complete with gin and tonics. Great day.

Tuesday after, I fly back to Ontario. Sadness. A lot of sadness.

July: Post-NUOVA depression sets in. It takes me about a week to find where I am in the world. Toronto visit, lots of practicing and score purchasing. Donna Elvira, Tatyana and Fiordiligi: you are mine.

Opera Canada review of Flute comes out: "Stephanie Yelovich's blond, Nordic-looking Pamina was sung with great delicacy and feeling." Very humbled.

And here we are. It is the 21st of July and on the 24th, I leave for St. Andrew's, NB to take part in Wendy Nielsen's Opera Workshop. Lobster, opera, sea...what more could one want?

My following post (I'm sure) will be much more detailed. Be back in a week!

Stephanie

Reflecting on 2010

It's clearly been a while since I've been able to write, but now that I am on Christmas break, I have a little more time than I would normally have during the school year. With only 2 days until Christmas, I've decided to reflect on the incredibly wonderful year I've had.

This is my final year at Laurier, and it has been the best year yet. I feel that I have accomplished more in four months than I did the last two years of my undergrad. This has to do with some vocal set backs that kept me from singing to my fullest potential. Not only have I made wonderful advances in singing, but I have made incredible advances in my lifestyle. It took me about 3 years to make those changes, but I see that perserverance and hard work have paid off. I've learned that I have been my own obstacle.

After my first year I had gained a lot of weight. Since then, over the last three to four years, I have lost 25 pounds. I understand what I need to eat for my body (and my voice) to remain healthy. I also understand how important excersize is. I am thankful that I don't have the best metabolism in the world. I know exactly when I'm not eating right because my body tells me. 

At the end of this term, I earned an A/A+ in my studio, an A+ in Opera and I just was notified that I will be receiving the Alumni Choir Voice Performance Scholarship this year. Even though I've been working hard, I feel that this is a reward for the last two years of struggle. I am no longer broken (as I've shouted from the mountain tops dozens of times...sorry if you've already heard this).

About a month ago, I found out that I was accepted into Opera NUOVA's six week program in Edmonton, Alberta.  I have been offered the role of the Second Wood Nymph in Rusalka and I couldn't be more delighted. This program is, in my opinion, Canada's best, and I can't wait to be challenged and busy!

On top of all this, a little while ago I was offered an opportunity to sing with the Kitchener Waterloo Symphony in the Pops Concerts Series. I will be part of a comedy act lead by Rainer Hersch, a British comedian, pianist and conductor. I am proud to say that this is my first professional gig in the classical world.

This year would not have been such a success without help from my talented and dedicated teacher, Kimberly Barber. Not only is she a wonderful teacher, but she has such a way with words, she is beautiful and so unbelievably talented as an artist and she is, above all, a compassionate and caring person. She has gotten me through some very rough times and it is such a pleasure to complete my fifth year of study at Laurier with her. I look forward to my next year of private study with her, after leaving Laurier.

I also need to comment on how proud I am to be a Laurier graduate. After receiving my undergrad, I knew I had to come back to do my Opera Diploma. Laurier has made me a great musician, artist and person. When I leave these walls, I understand how different other universities are. Nowhere else would a third or fourth year be singing a lead role in an opera. Nowhere else would such a collegial and supportive atmosphere exist. This year, our opera class has been the best yet, with no room for gossip, jealousy or toxicity and I am SO thankful for that. There is no need for it in this business, and those who indulge are not helping themselves or others. I am not perfect, and I find myself getting sucked into "toxic talk", but I strive to stay away.

After reading the above text, I realize it could be seen as me bragging. This is not my intention. I have taken the time to write this all out for myself: to reflect on my year, to share with others the things that I am proud of, and to write down all the things that I am incredibly thankful for.

I am so proud to be a soprano and artist and I can't wait to see where 2011 leads. If I don't write again until the new year, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!

Stephanie

P.S. Another highlight of this month was seeing Renee Fleming at Roy Thompson Hall. You know you're a die-hard fan when you start sobbing profusely while she makes her first entrance onto the stage. She was stunning.

Sickness knows no bounds...

SO.

It is approximately 3 days until our Opera Excerpts here at Laurier, and Miss Opera Diploma is sick. I am not writing for sympathy, just to share what I am learning about myself during this period of illness.

I got sick on Saturday night with full fever, body aches and swollen glands. I was feverish all day Sunday. I was dreading Monday because not only did I have opera rehearsal, but I also had my Opera Nuova audition. So I decided that I would miss my morning classes to save my energy and then get to school for rehearsal and my audition. It wasn't feeling %100 in the morning, but I felt ok. I got to the school and I seemed fine.

 I had my Opera NUOVA audition at 5:15 and it was the best audition I've ever had to date. Not only did I sing well, but I felt an electricity in the room that was very exciting. After that high, things started to go downhill. I went to opera rehearsal that evening, but I shouldn't have.

After a terrible night's sleep, I woke up this morning to discover that my cold had moved into my chest and I had a lovely cough. I was able to see a homeopath today and get some remedies and I am well on the mend.

What I learned from this experience was how amazing our mental capacity is. I was bed ridden on Sunday, but Monday was magic. I've learned that we can do anything if we put our minds to it. Tomorrow are the dress rehearsals. I plan to mark, but I still feel surprisingly great. I'm looking forward to Friday. I can honestly be thankful that this didn't start on Thursday, in time for me to be sick on Friday.

I'm still not feeling the best, but I wont let it stop me. Don't get me wrong, I will take care of myself, but I will remind my body that there is work to be done. Singing is my life and sickness wont stop me.

Looking forward to Friday. Hope to see you all there and healthy!

Stephanie

Presenting Opera Laurier's 2010 Excerpts

Hello everyone,

It's been quite a while since I've written. Life is busy. This entry is to let everyone know about Opera Laurier's upcoming performance of Excerpts. The information is as follows:

Opera Laurier Presents Excerpts 2010
Friday, November 19th and Saturday, November 20th
Director: Andrea Wingelaar
Musical Directors: Leslie De'ath and Elvera Froese
Wilfrid Laurier University
Theatre Auditorium
8 pm

Tickets: $10 general, $5 students and seniors, FREE for Laurier students

Presenting excerpts from:

Verdi's La Traviata
Massenet's Manon
Strauss' Ariadne auf Naxos
Coghlan's Frankie and Johnnie

This is going to be a great show! Not only is there beautiful singing, but rockstars and dancing too! I won't say anymore. This is a unique and fun year for Opera Laurier. Hope to see you all there!

Stephanie

P.S. I promise I will write more when I have time!!!! :)

Why I Sing

I was recently reading Classical Singer magazine, and there is a section for singers to write in and let the world know why they sing. These are two responses that I had to share, because the way I feel about singing is identical to what I read.


Why I Sing
By Gretchen Retka

I sing because I breathe. Breathing and singing go hand in hand. I inhale and I sing, inhale and sing. I'm always singing wherever I go. It's my passion. It's a gift that I choose to share with as many people as I can. I endure the challenges because I love it--and not in the sense of romanticized love, but in the form of pure and spiritual love.

I once heard about love described in terms of a relationship: When two lovers first meet they are wild, attracted to one another, passionate, all full of kissing and lust--"in love" and crazy! But once (to put it plainly) the period of insanity wears off, the two people are forced to look at what is left and decide whether or not its worth it to continue. After it all, if you couldn't even imagine going through the rest of your life without that person, then you know: it's true love.

I feel this way about singing. At first it was crazy childhood fascination, singing everywhere I went, entertaining the family and friends but without any formal training--just crazy about music. Later, after having some letdowns, reality set in and then I had to ask myself: Do I love singing this much? I know I can't go the rest of my life without singing, having found a love like this.

So I stay, I endure whatever comes--happiness and heartbreak--and I grow. My life is forever changed because I love so deeply. I didn't ask for this voice, but I've chosen to cultivate it because I can't imagine another way.

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Why I Sing
By Daniel McGrew

I sing because I must. I sing because I have a song within me that I cannot silence. It's part of who I am. Like someone blinks or breathes--that's how I sing. It's involuntary. And if one stops the eye from blinking or the breath from cycling in and out, the urge will build and build--and despite one's most earnest attempts against it, the eye will blink, the breath will assume its familiar rhythm. I will sing again!

And so here I stand, 17 years old, dreaming of a career that is, very apparently, full of obstacles, brutal disappointments, hurdles, and difficulties galore. Why? Why not something else? Something that is far more stable and secure? Because I am determined to live the life that I feel I am being called to live.

As singers, part of what we do is based upon our own enjoyment. I am never happier than when beautiful music surrounds me and fills me up--the joy of song is a thrill that never fades or dulls. This personal enjoyment is an important motivation within me--but even bigger, I feel, is the need to share what I've been blessed with. What is a song if nobody but the singer gets to experience it? I love to make people feel things through my music, make them think, make them laugh, and make them cry. It's all about the music--getting inside the heart of the listener and stretching it, making them bigger inside. And suddenly, if only for a fleeting moment, they see themselves and the world in a new way. They remember something. They discover something. They are changed.

I cannot miss out on the opportunity to really affect people through the power of music in the name of fear or sloth. I'll face the fear. I'll conquer the seemingly impossibly tasks. Because if I can touch lives with the talents I've been blessed with, then I have not lived in vain.

I must sing. And because I must, I will!

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I don't really think I need to say anything else.

Stephanie